router plate leveling

[Aaron Liebling]

Setting up my new router table and dealings having levelled, I'm struggling to get it totally flat in all corners with no wobble. Every time I get one side/corner level the other is out or there's a wobble.

The table and plate both seem to be flat.

Any suggestions on a leveling methodology before trial and error?

[Paul F Franklin]

I used the Kreg leveling mounts, which adjust from below, and had similar issues. So....after backing down all the adjustment set screws, I used double stick tape to stick the insert to a piece of MDF larger than the opening. Placed it into position and piled on a bunch of heavy stuff. Then I adjusted the set screws from underneath until each set screw met moderate resistance.

After removing the weights and unsticking the insert, it wasn't perfect but was pretty close. close enough that a small amount of tweaking (admittedly trial and error) did the trick.

[Aaron Liebling]

Mine adjusts from the top but I think I can mimic that approach. I'll give it a go!

[Bobby Robbinett]

Router plate leveling never seemed like a good idea to me. I mean, any time you adjust those set screws to level the plate you are making the router bit not 90 degrees to the table top. I think of this with shaper tables. No way you would want the cutters on a shaper to be cantilevered like that. If you are making cope and stick doors that would decrease your accuracy

[Alan Lightstone]

Router plate leveling never seemed like a good idea to me. I mean, any time you adjust those set screws to level the plate you are making the router bit not 90 degrees to the table top. I think of this with shaper tables. No way you would want the cutters on a shaper to be cantilevered like that. If you are making cope and stick doors that would decrease your accuracy

Is that not true if the router bit is 90 degrees to the table top before leveling? Shouldn't making sure of that be part of the equation before leveling the insert?

[David Buchhauser]

I like to have my insert flush and level with the table, and the router mounted such that the router bit (or gauge pin for testing) is perpendicular to both table and insert.
David

[Paul F Franklin]

Router plate leveling never seemed like a good idea to me. I mean, any time you adjust those set screws to level the plate you are making the router bit not 90 degrees to the table top. I think of this with shaper tables. No way you would want the cutters on a shaper to be cantilevered like that. If you are making cope and stick doors that would decrease your accuracy

Don't think I understand your point. The router is mounted to the plate, so the bit should be 90 degrees to the plate. Making the plate flush and even with the table top then ensures that the bit is 90 to the table top as well. Perhaps the term "leveling" is the problem...one is not making the insert level in the sense of plumb and level, rather one is making it flush and even with the top.

Or am I misunderstanding your point?

[Aaron Liebling]

What Paul said...the plate and the bit are locked in alignment. I just want the plate to be flush and even with the top.

Any useful advice on how to achieve this?

If there's a wobble between two opposite corners (if one is pressed the holdout corner lifts), for example, should I be lowering the other two (non-wobbling) corners?

[Andrew Seemann]

If it makes you feel better, I tend to have my plate set just a little proud of the table. I think my table isn't completely flat, so I can't get all 4 corners flat with the table and without rocking. I don't have any issues in use, other than making sure I don't catch the leading edge of the plate when using a sled.

Just set it as close as you can get it and see how it works. If you can, put the high corner on the back left, where it probably won't have much of an effect on actual use.

[Dan Cameron]

I suggest you add a fifth (temporary?) leveling screw in the middle of one long side, and temporarily back off the other two screws on that side. With the weight centered between the remaining THREE screws the plate will not wobble and you can adjust it level. Then bring up the other two screws to just touch (but not lift) the plate. Voila.

[Aaron Liebling]

I have been thinking that perhaps I'm seeking too much perfection. If it's proud of the table one has to be careful of rocking long heavy pieces, which I seem so often work on.

The one issue I need to address is the rocking. Every time I get it to stop rocking it seems more out than I'm comfortable with. But perhaps good enough is...I'll have to run some wood through it and see how it actually performs.

[Myles Moran]

When I set mine up, i started by getting the plate as close to flush, but just below the table as i could. Then when I leveled it, i had a spot on the back side that just did not want to level. Instead of using a ruler to look for gaps, i used a small scrap of wood to run across the joint between the two like i was feeding stock through the table. The right side of the plate is just the slightest bit recessed from the top so the wood won't catch on the plate. The left side is the slightest bit proud so the wood won't catch on the top. I got the front and back as close as possible and so far i haven't had any issue despite there being a slight mismatch.

Also of note as far as keeping the router bit square to the table, 1° works out to .017" per degree per inch. So looking at a 9x11" plate, if the front is off .010" from the table, that would only knock the bit out of alignment by .07° or so. To me, I'd call that square enough for a router table. I'd be more concerned about any bumps that might catch a piece of stock while you're trying to feed it through.

[Aaron Liebling]

I went with something like Dan's suggestion and it did the job. Thanks for that.

Also, thanks to Myles for his thoughts on "good enough".

[Patrick Varley]

Don't think I understand your point. The router is mounted to the plate, so the bit should be 90 degrees to the plate. Making the plate flush and even with the table top then ensures that the bit is 90 to the table top as well. Perhaps the term "leveling" is the problem...one is not making the insert level in the sense of plumb and level, rather one is making it flush and even with the top.

Or am I misunderstanding your point?

At the risk of being a geometry pedant, I think the term would be "coplanar". As you say, as long as the plate and top are coplanar doesn't matter if the whole unit is level in relation to the ground.

[Tom Bender]

It's easy enough to measure straight with a suitable straightedge. And it's easy enough to check a straightedge for accuracy. What's needed here is a method to measure flatness.